The business secretary is braced for Tory opposition as he shakes up the City and its 'completely unjustified' bonuses

The angel on top of Vince Cable’s Christmas tree is keeling over, its sparkly
halo at a drunken angle. Not unlike its owner, the decoration seems to have
suffered something of a fall from grace.

But if the man who once rejoiced in the nickname “St Vince” is troubled at
being knocked off his pedestal in recent weeks, he’s certainly not admitting
it. Quite the opposite: he claims he never wanted to be canonised in the
first place.

“I never bought into all that; never tried to be a saint. If I simply wanted
to parade as a saint, I’d have kept well clear of government,” he says.

It’s a good job he’s so philosophical about the damage to his reputation
caused by what he calls “taking difficult decisions” since becoming a
cabinet minister, because he’s unlikely to regain his popularity soon.